Auction Report: Hunting, Advertising & Militaria Sale Hits the Target

This extremely rare 1899 United Metal Cartridge Company factory bullet board sold for $11,769 in an Internet auction hosted by SoldUSA.com that ended on March 21, 2010.

MATTHEWS, N.C. – An exceedingly rare 1899 United Metal Cartridge Company factory bullet board in excellent condition sold for $11,769, making it the top-selling item in an Internet and catalog auction hosted by SoldUSA.com that ended on March 21, 2010.

The bullet board was the first of two variations, and the rarer variety—better known as the “Elk Scene” board.

“With the implementation of new proprietary software, the site saw record attendance for what was a fantastic overall auction,” said Chris Roberts, president of SoldUSA.com. “We had more than 2.1 million hits in the final two days, with more than 3,500 different bidders. The sale focused mainly on hunting, advertising and militaria, and we saw high prices posted across the board.”

The UMC bullet board was housed in a very fine original frame and its pictures showed the great condition of the lithograph (no damage, no fading, no missing paper). The back was in original condition and the primer box was totally original, not a replacement. All of the shells were original and there was no restoration to the board, which measured 42 inches by 54 ½ inches.

Following are additional highlights from the sale (all prices quoted include a 13 percent buyer’s premium):

This Winchester vertical banner poster, featuring “The Cougar” and with a snow flake band brought $7,278 at auction.

• A Winchester vertical banner poster, featuring “The Cougar” and pictured in the “Winchester Rarities” book, page 49, soared to $7,278. The poster measured 10 ½ inches by 63 ½ inches, with a snow flake band at the bottom. It featured a graphic of a cougar on a snow-covered limb, staring directly at the viewer. It showed some routine wear but the colors were brilliant.

• A rare 1902 Winchester lithographed double “W” cartridge board, looking like the 1897 version but without any actual cartridges, went for $6,526. The cartridges were head-stamped “Winchester 1901,” hence the reason WRA Co. issued this board just a few years after the 1897 model. The factory was introducing a new line of shotgun shells and changed the head stamp.

• Apparently, Winchester also determined that, in order to save costs, they would drop the practice of mounting whole cartridges to the litho. This 1902 board was also the last in the series of the big, bold cartridge boards (again, probably a cost-saving move). The board was in totally untouched condition both front and back, with only some light rubbing and scratching overall.

A 1926 U.S. Cartridge Company Ajax Heavies poster in near-mint condition gaveled down for $4,418.

• A 1926 U.S. Cartridge Company Ajax Heavies poster in near-mint condition breezed to $4,418. The poster, measuring a 20 inch by 31 inch live area, boasted very striking colors in a scene of a flock of mallards sitting in the marsh with a lightning storm in the background. The poster was attached reinforced on the back with archival tape, but was still in near-mint shape.

• A Montgomery Ward 16-gage Red Head fully-loaded and fully-sealed ammo box, in mint condition, realized $1,305. The piece showed only the very slightest case wear and had no missing label at all. The image was bright and vibrant, with deep rich color and great detail. The end panel of this flawless ammo box with fully loaded cartridges read, “Load 3-1 1/87 1/2Ch.”

For more information about this auction, call 704.815.1550, e-mail to croberts@SoldUSA.com or visit the SoldUSA.com Web site.